House of Noh Journal

We (Sharon P. and I) also found a cat. He was screaming - just screaming - in kitten meows with his eyes tightly shut when we walked passed him on Irving Park. This is where there's a cemetery on both sides of the street, just West of where that one Robinson Crusoe homeless guy (and I know that I've typed of this man before, he's a personal hero of mine) built a house amongst the steel supports of the Redline El tracks that attracted a whole kingdom of homeless people with him over one summer. And then one day, when the leaves had begun falling off the trees, I rode a bus past him and the spunky kingdom he had fashioned and they had assembled a Marco Polo caravan of shopping carts piled high with the garbage scavengings, ready for their pre-winter migration and I have never seen any of them again.

Sharon and I kept the kitten in a cardboard box in my kitchen with food, and water, and litter in a shoebox with the sides cut down. We guessed he was between four and six weeks old - he was that small. But the vet said he was ten months. He was stunted, he had been on the street for so long. And he had feline leukemia, and such a bad upper respiratory infection that his eyes would seal shut with dried puss and he'd look up out of his box at us the best he could, with blind love in our general direction. We had to have him put down, but both Sharon P. and I miss the little guy, he was such a little sweetheart, and he was so brave too that I wish we had had more choice in the matter.

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So Sharon P. tried to play it cool but dry heaved in just the same way she did that time she was messing around with some dirty dishes (even after I warned her) in my sink and found some puffy, hairy, fully developed mold, that, when uncovered, saw its moldy chance and puffed its spores like a thousand late autumn dandelions into her lungs. We (Sharon P. and I) also found a cat. He was screaming - just screaming - in kitten meows with his eyes tightly shut when we walked passed him on Irving Park. This is where there's a cemetery on both sides of the street, just West of where that one Robinson Crusoe homeless guy (and I know that I've typed of this man before, he's a personal hero of mine) built a house amongst the steel supports of the Redline El tracks that attracted a whole kingdom of homeless people with him over one summer. And then one day, when the leaves had begun falling off the trees, I rode a bus past him and the spunky kingdom he had fashioned and they had assembled a Marco Polo caravan of shopping carts piled high with the garbage scavengings, ready for their pre-winter migration and I have never seen any of them again. Sharon and I kept the kitten in a cardboard box in my kitchen with food, and water, and litter in a shoebox with the sides cut down. We guessed he was between four and six weeks old - he was that small. But the vet said he was ten months. He was stunted, he had been on the street for so long. And he had feline leukemia, and such a bad upper respiratory infection that his eyes would seal shut with dried puss and he'd look up out of his box at us the best he could, with blind love in our general direction. We had to have him put down, but both Sharon P. and I miss the little guy, he was such a little sweetheart, and he was so brave too that I wish we had had more choice in the matter. Brian 9:52 PM Comments: Mr. J was a serious trooper. Unfortunately, feline leukemia (which he tested positive for) is a highly contagious virus (unlike human blood cancer) and the risk to Mr. Kitty was too great. The vet also thought that Mr. J's small stature could have been attributed to the leukemia, or that he was a street cat. Either way, he would have had the terrible disease to contend with, which I was told is rapidly devastating. Mr. J however, is still in our hearts, and at least my lungs, because I think he gave me his little kitty cold. Brian was so gentle giving Mr. J a much-needed face wash and ear cleaning- Brian is fascinated by ear effluvia- human, cat, whatever. We should be so lucky one day as to find a stray elephant or bat or beagle to take home- there's got to be some super-grody nuggets in those kind of ears! Sharon # posted by Anonymous : 9:47 AM Hey, dude... Yeah, feline leukemia is some pretty bad stuff...we lost a couple of cats to it when I was little. And I'm sorry you had to have the little guy euthanized. But I think it's awesome that you guys made his last days a little more comfortable, and gave him a chance to see there are some cool people out there in the big world. Totally sweet... Ace # posted by Anonymous : 9:23 AM Brian: I am sorry to hear about Mr. J's fate. Mark and I took in a little calico cat who turned up on our porch with a hurt paw (the most pathetic thing ever) - we found her a home and everything, and then she tested positive for Feline Leukemia. We shipped Vio and Adelaide to my parents and took home 'Raqi (short for "Operation Iraqi Freedom" (next stray to be named "No Child Left Behind" or "Kiddo")). She only made it a month or so before a bad infection got her. We guessed that a college student at Bradley bought her at the start of the school year and dumped her at the end - she's about the right age. Pisses me off.... Anyway, I'm glad to hear that Mr. Kitty is okay. (My mom wants to know why Mr. Kitty is no longer frequently featured in your journal.) Best, Janaki # posted by Anonymous : 12:39 PM Post a Comment

Comments:

Mr. J was a serious trooper. Unfortunately, feline leukemia (which he tested positive for) is a highly contagious virus (unlike human blood cancer) and the risk to Mr. Kitty was too great. The vet also thought that Mr. J's small stature could have been attributed to the leukemia, or that he was a street cat. Either way, he would have had the terrible disease to contend with, which I was told is rapidly devastating. Mr. J however, is still in our hearts, and at least my lungs, because I think he gave me his little kitty cold.
Brian was so gentle giving Mr. J a much-needed face wash and ear cleaning- Brian is fascinated by ear effluvia- human, cat, whatever. We should be so lucky one day as to find a stray elephant or bat or beagle to take home- there's got to be some super-grody nuggets in those kind of ears!
Sharon

# posted by Anonymous : 9:47 AM

Hey, dude...
Yeah, feline leukemia is some pretty bad stuff...we lost a couple of cats to it when I was little. And I'm sorry you had to have the little guy euthanized. But I think it's awesome that you guys made his last days a little more comfortable, and gave him a chance to see there are some cool people out there in the big world. Totally sweet...

Ace

# posted by Anonymous : 9:23 AM

Brian:

I am sorry to hear about Mr. J's fate. Mark and I took in a little calico cat who turned up on our porch with a hurt paw (the most pathetic thing ever) - we found her a home and everything, and then she tested positive for Feline Leukemia. We shipped Vio and Adelaide to my parents and took home 'Raqi (short for "Operation Iraqi Freedom" (next stray to be named "No Child Left Behind" or "Kiddo")). She only made it a month or so before a bad infection got her. We guessed that a college student at Bradley bought her at the start of the school year and dumped her at the end - she's about the right age. Pisses me off.... Anyway, I'm glad to hear that Mr. Kitty is okay. (My mom wants to know why Mr. Kitty is no longer frequently featured in your journal.)

Best,
Janaki

# posted by Anonymous : 12:39 PM

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Thursday, March 09, 2006